


No Direction

by padthigh



Category: The Mindy Project
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-28
Updated: 2014-04-28
Packaged: 2018-01-21 02:18:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1533965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/padthigh/pseuds/padthigh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If they were still them she would enjoy the way his eyes are half-lidded in lust. Part of her wants to savor this victory that she made Danny Castellano lose control in a dressing room, but the other part wants to cry in anguish.</p>
            </blockquote>





	No Direction

She's in her happy place standing in the three-way mirror of the dressing room. She knows for certain that she's going to buy the orange Ikat pencil skirt that fits like a glove but she's not entirely sure if she likes the matching crop top. Mindy Lahiri is not one to shy away from color, but she prefers 3 different patterns per outfit, thankyouverymuch. Perhaps a chambray shirt tied in a knot instead? She turns left, then right. She's so intent on this decision that she doesn't notice the small figure until she's wrapped around her legs. 

 

"Hi Mindy!"

 

Mindy turns around and looks down at the young girl clutching her waist. Is that? Could it be?

 

"You don't remember me?" Her disappointment is evident as she steps back and peers up at Mindy. Sandy brown hair, big blue eyes and those unmistakable red glasses. She couldn't forget that face if she tried. It looks too similar to one she has memorized in her sleep. Or, more accurately, that she memorized while he was asleep.   

 

"How dare you - I would never! Hi Little Danni!" Mindy gathers Danni back in a hug. Her brain can not compute what she's doing in this boutique in New York City. Because if Little Danni is here than that must mean- 

 

"Hey Min." She hears her name spoken softly. One syllable that used to bring so much joy and now just serves as yet another reminder of all the ruined possibilities. 

 

"Danny. Hi!" Even though she's spent the better part of the past month avoiding him, she desperately wants this interaction to be normal so she's going to try real hard for Danni's sake. Besides, she's moving on. It's why she's standing in this dressing room right now. She gives one last squeeze and drops a quick kiss on her head before pulling away. 

 

"Danni, it's so good to see you! How long have you been here?"

 

Danni pushes her glasses up the bridge of her nose and jumps from one foot to another. "I just got here! I'm visiting for a long weekend. Danny surprised me for my birthday with One Direction tickets. We're going to see them at Madison Square Garden tomorrow night!"  

 

Danny is rubbing his cheek and his face reddens. Mindy throws an amused smile his way at this news, which has a strangely calming affect on the churning that begin in his stomach the second he saw her. It's the first time she's really looked at him in weeks. Her smile lacks the openness and adoration that used to beam his way, but he'll take whatever he can get. He's missed that smile so damn much. 

 

"One Direction? Whoa! I'm so jealous! Do you know how hard those tickets are to get? I didn't realize they were even going on tour until the tickets were sold out. I penned a strongly worded email to their manager because really what's the point of paying for a fan club membership if you don't find out this kind of stuff until it's too late? Two days later I saw the email alert in my spam folder." Mindy sighed at the memory. "Harry Styles has no idea what he's missing."

 

Danny's eyebrows raise. "Keira Knightley and Harry Styles, eh?"

 

Mindy decides to ignore this.

 

"Danny brought me here to buy me an outfit for the concert, he told me how much you love this place."

 

Danny coughs and its Mindy's turn for an eyebrow raise. "Huh! Interesting. Well, yes he is absolutely right, it's my favorite store. Do you need any help?" 

 

Danni motions to the handful of clothes tucked under her arms. "Maybe just give me your opinion on what I've already picked out?" 

 

"No problem."

 

Danni smiles and disappears down the hall into the nearest open dressing room. The semblance of normalcy they've carved out leaves with her and tension fills the space the instant she is gone. _Be normal, be normal!_ Mindy chants silently. 

 

"Soooo, One Direction tickets? That's disgustingly cute that you did that for her. Although I have to admit, I'm a little bitter about that. You have no idea who any of them are, and you'll probably fall asleep in your chair, you old man."

 

"Hey give me a little credit! I know that Life Story song."

 

"I had no idea she was visiting you." 

 

"Yeah. I tried to tell you last week. I'm not exactly sure of the right things to do that will entertain her and thought you'd have some good advice but you were in such a rush when I came to your office to ask. And then...well, we haven't seen each other. There wasn't really another opportunity."

 

Mindy smiles wistfully. She's not going to let herself feel guilty about this but it still makes her ache. She knows that the three of them would have had the best weekend together and not being part of this important moment in his life feels both strange and sad. 

 

Danny's eyes travel the length of her body and she flushes when he stops at the small patch above her waist exposed by the crop top. She suddenly feels naked, even though he's already seen everything a hundred times before. He can't stop staring at that strip of skin. It was one of his favorite spots to kiss and they both instantly remember. 

 

"Wow. Uh. I really like this on you. But where exactly are you going to wear this half top thing? Even for you, that's a bold work choice!" He laughs. 

 

"I have a date tomorrow evening."

 

The laughter dies in his throat. "And that's what you're going to wear?" 

 

"You just said that you liked it!" 

 

"Well....that. Look. I...don't wear that! That's a terrible choice for a first date. It's too revealing."

 

"It's not a first date. It's a third date." 

 

_Oh._ The implications are clear and he swallows hard. This is certainly an appropriate third date outfit and he knows it. She looks stunning. He hates it and he hates himself even more. 

 

"What do you think?" 

 

Mindy and Danny both jump at the sound of her voice. Little Danni is suddenly standing in front of them in denim jeans and a sparkly cardigan that matches her glasses. 

 

"Hmmm." Mindy chews on her lip, thoughtfully regarding the outfit. Danny is grateful at how seriously she takes this for his little sister. "I love the cardigan, but maybe it would be better with white jeans. What do you think about that?" 

 

"I like that idea. Let me go find a pair."

 

When Danni is gone, Mindy turns to go back in her dressing room. She's confused and she wants out of this outfit. She really needs him to stop looking at her like that because it's doing funny things to her insides.

 

She doesn't expect him to follow her so she's not fast enough at shutting the door and he's suddenly in the room with her. She recoils, stunned to see him standing before her. The tiny space is sucked of all oxygen. 

 

"Danny what are you doing?" 

 

"Don't wear that for him. Don't go with...whoever he is...tomorrow evening." 

 

She spins away and stares at him through the mirror. His face is flushed, he's breathing hard. "Danny. That is such an unfair thing to ask! You don't get to have these opinions anymore!" 

 

He steps closer to her and the instant awareness prickles at her skin. He can't help himself. His fingers splay across her waist, brushing the bare skin. Closing his eyes, he brings his lips to the back of her neck. 

 

"If you wear that tomorrow evening, all I'll do is think of him touching you in all the ways I never did." One hand stays on her hip while another reaches under her skirt. _Oh god._ Her eyes clench shut and she hears his breath hitch when he finds what he's looking for. 

 

"You're not wearing anything under here." His voice is quiet, filled with awe. He is hard against the back of her thigh. 

 

Her head falls forward against the mirror when his fingers push inside. "This skirt isn't exactly very forgiving, so I took my panties off. They're in my purse." 

 

She can't say anything else. She is impossibly wet and it feels so fucking good, like coming home. No one else will ever inspire this kind of reaction from her. Her eyes roll to the back of her head when she remembers where they are, who they're with and what they're doing. 

 

"Danny...stop." He doesn't listen, she can feel his breath hot against her neck and his fingers start to move even faster. 

 

"STOP!" She pushes him back. If they were still them she would enjoy the way his eyes are half-lidded in lust. Part of her wants to savor this victory that she made Danny Castellano lose control in a dressing room, but the other part wants to cry in anguish. 

 

"What are we doing? You don't get to do these things to me! Do you think that I'm some fucking whore who will take whatever scraps you give me?" She is angry, but underneath the surface is the hurt she's trying so hard to keep at bay. Her voice cracks on the last word. 

 

His face crumbles. He shoves his hands through his hair, still breathing heavily. "I would never think of you like that. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have touched you like that, I just - seeing you. I just want you. I miss you. I meant what I said - please don't go out with him tomorrow night."

 

"You don't get to not date me and then tell me not to date other people. That is not the way this goes you asshole!" Mindy hisses. She yanks the crop top over her head and reaches for her blouse, pushing it down. She turns away from him to search through her Chanel crossbody for her thong.

 

"Mindy."

 

She ignores him. Why can't she ever find anything in this purse? For the amount of money she pays for these things she should be able to send a telepathic message and conjure whatever she is looking for.  

 

"Mindy."

 

She turns her back to him, trying to give herself as much privacy and space the room will allow. She slides her panties up. Unzips the skirt with a huff and wiggles back into her jeans. She knows he's watching. Knows that it's killing him not to reach out and touch her ass. 

 

"Min, please. Look. Please. Please take this." 

 

She turns around at that, and stops when she sees something in his hand with a familiar font and the words One Direction. Her heart pounds. 

 

"What is this?" 

 

"It's a ticket. It's your ticket. I bought it for you. I bought it for all of us."

 

She stares at him like he has grown three heads. Her mouth opens, but no sounds comes out. It closes. He rushes ahead before he loses his nerve.  

 

'I bought these tickets when we were still together. I was planning to surprise you on our one month anniversary by letting you know the three of us were going to the concert together for Danni's birthday. Well obviously things didn't go as planned." He laughs shakily and shoves his fingers in his pockets. "I came in your office last week to tell you I made the biggest mistake of my life. I wanted another chance. I WANT another chance. But you seemed so angry with me that I couldn't bring myself to say the words." 

 

He opens her hand and gently places the ticket in her palm. 

 

"I know I don't deserve to even ask. I should never have ended things between us but if you do give me another chance, I'll do whatever I can to make it up to you. I'll watch Sleepless in Seattle every Friday night for a year." He's encouraged by the small smile that tugs at her lips. 

 

"I'm so sorry for...everything. You are the most important person in the world to me and I'm sorry that I ruined this." He closes her palm over the ticket and kisses her softly on the cheek. "When I broke things off, I know I selfishly made this decision for us. Please know that the decision is now yours."

 

He is saying everything she wanted to hear all of those nights she cried herself to sleep. Now she regards the ticket in her hand carefully, warily. "I don't know if I can trust you. I don't know if I can trust my feelings for you. This all hurt too way much. I didn't know it could hurt like this _until it did_." Her voice is a whisper. 

 

She looks up at him. She looks back down at the ticket in her hand. For the first time, she notices that it says Row 1. She knows what she wants to do, but even with this paper burning a hole in her hand and her heart, she truly doesn't know what she will decide in the next 24 hours. It suddenly feels like the most important decision she will ever make. Is it possible to ever again trust someone who so quickly blew up your entire world? Standing in front of him, looking into those serious brown eyes filled with so much warmth, vulnerability and longing for _her_ she honestly doesn't know. She has no direction for this and the irony makes her want to laugh out loud. 

 

He knows he deserves her hesitation, but it still stings to see how conflicted she is. 

 

"That's fair." He sighs and scratches the back of his neck. "How about this. You have your ticket, you can meet us there if you decide to give me another shot. If you don't come to the concert tomorrow evening, I'll know your answer and I will accept it. Okay?"

 

She drapes the Chanel crossbody on her shoulder. She holds her ticket in one hand and the outfit she's going to buy in another. She'll be using one of these things tomorrow night, but she's not sure which. 

 

"Okay." 

 

Taking a deep breath, she opens the dressing room door to help Danni.  

**Author's Note:**

> After many months of quietly reading stories by this wonderful fandom I thought I'd try a stab at my own. I love this show and this couple so much. I really wanted to write a Choose Your Own adventure kind of story. In the end, as you can see, the decision is really yours. ;)


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